Arusha · Experience
A morning at a Maasai boma
A Maasai homestead, visited at the family's pace: the welcome, the walk in, the fire, the beadwork. It is a visit to people, not a performance.
The welcome
You arrive as a guest and are given a shuka to wear over your own clothes. The family walks you in together, sticks in hand, across the ground between the huts. The photographs on this page are of exactly that.
The homestead
A boma is a family compound: low huts of branches plastered with earth, built by the women, arranged inside a thorn fence that keeps the cattle in and the night out. You are shown how it is built and how it is lived in.
Fire from two sticks
The men make fire the old way, a hardwood stick spun between the palms on a softer board until the dust smoulders. Guests are invited to try. Most find it harder than it looks.
The beadwork
The women lay out their beadwork and carving on a table for the visit: collars, bangles, bowls and spoons. Buying is never part of what we sell you.
A note on respect
This is a home. Photographs are taken with permission, questions are welcome, and the visit moves at the family's pace rather than to a schedule.
Fitting it in
Ask us where it runs from your itinerary and how long it takes. It is arranged around the rest of your days rather than sold as a fixed excursion.
A sense of the place
Questions
Questions, answered
What should I wear?
Whatever is comfortable. A shuka is offered on arrival and worn over your own clothes.
Can I take photographs?
Yes, with permission, which your guide will ask for on your behalf.
Is there a price?
It is charged separately from the safari. Ask us and we quote it with the rest of your trip.
Pairs well with
Arusha
Lake Duluti
A small volcanic crater lake at Tengeru, east of Arusha, ringed by forest reserve. Canoe it, walk the rim, or both.
Arusha
A Day in Arusha
The town every safari begins in, given a full day: the Cultural Heritage Centre, the markets and the streets, with Mount Meru above it all.
Arusha
Arusha Town Walk
Arusha on foot with a guide: the clock tower, the markets and the streets between them. Ask us for the route.
Arusha
Napuru Waterfall
A waterfall in the Meru-Usa forest on the lower slopes of Mount Meru, outside Arusha, reached on foot through the trees.
Ask about this